Confessions from the Perfect Soldier
by Uruwashii Inochi
Summary: This is a 1x2 pairing, my favorite. Heero can't bring himself to tell Duo how he feels so Duo decides to find it with someone else. Heero returns to find Duo with another person. Will he be able to find the words that Duo needs to hear?
1. Ch 1 An Evening Ruined

Confessions from the Perfect Soldier

Chapter 1 An Evening Ruined

Just for the sake of letting everyone know the obvious. I don't own any rights to these characters and don't make money off of them. If I did I would be rich, but I'm not.

(o)(o)(o)

"Humanity!" Duo demanded, "What humanity, he doesn't have any. It was buried long ago by battle and bloodshed. He's nothing more than a machine, a robot doing only what it's been programmed to do."

"Isn't he worth fighting for, Duo?" Quatre asked, falling back into a chair.

"Worth fighting for!" He nearly yelled pacing the floor. "I've been fighting for it since we met! All he does is bury it further from my grasp." He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Besides, I'm tired of fighting." Duo sat down in a chair, emotionally exhausted.

"If you care about him, you'll keep fighting."

"It's not a matter of caring about him; it's a matter of him caring for me! It's a losing battle, Quatre, one I can't win. I should pull out now before I lose everything."

"Duo." Quatre whispered. _Have things gotten so bad? _He thought. Suddenly, he was struck with a great idea. Jumping off the couch ecstatically, he grabbed Duo by the arm and pulled him out of his chair. He dragged him towards the kitchen saying, "Duo, I have an idea."

(o)(o)(o)

Heero stood quietly in the hallway listening to the conversation taking place in the next room. They were discussing him. He didn't understand what Duo was doing. Was he giving up on him, on them? Were things that bad between them that the normally elated Duo was nothing more than a shell of his former self? How could he have let this happen? Duo was his everything and he thought he knew that, but from the conversation, he obviously did not. Heero closed his eyes and leaned against the wall deep in his own thoughts.

"Eavesdropping, Heero?" Trowa asked coming down the hallway.

If Heero had been caught off guard he didn't show any visible signs. Instead to stalked off down the hallway, more depressed than angry. Trowa heard him go up the stairs into his room.

_I wonder what that was all about. _He thought as he continued his search for Quatre.

(o)(o)(o)

Heero stared at his laptop disappointed. He wasn't sure if he should be happy or enraged. Preventers had just notified him of his next mission; he had accepted of course, but to what consequence? How would this effect…

"Dinners ready!" Duo announced as he bounced into the room, braid swinging behind him.

Heero looked up at the bubbly pilot's entrance; a wide smile on his face that rarely seemed to leave.

"I have to leave." Heero stated bluntly, not wanting to draw anything out. He watched Duo's face carefully, looking for any signs of disappointment.

"That's all right." He replied without hesitation.

Heero was not sure how to take the reply. He couldn't tell if he was hurt or not. Normally Duo wore his emotions on his sleeve, but this time was different.

"Preventers sent word of a new mission. I have to leave right away."

"How long you gonna be gone for?"

"A few days."

"I'll see you when you get back." Duo turned, ending the conversation.

"Duo…"

He paused half way out the door. "Yeah?"

Was that disappointment he heard? "Nothing."

Duo left without another word. Heero heard Duo's bedroom door click shut down the hall. Packing his things Heero wondered if he should make sure Duo was ok. He was running short on time and had one hour to report for his mission. He decided to discuss the matter when he returned, it wouldn't be that long.

On his way out, a flicker of light from the dining room caught his attention. Pushing the door wide, he was surprised at what he found. Two lit candle sticks stood tall upon the table. The table had been set for two with the table cloth that Quatre only used for special occasions. A meal had been laid out and it smelled wonderful. A smile graced his features, then vanished as quickly as it had come. Duo had obviously planned this evening for the two of them. Now with orders for a new mission, he had ruined the evening. He would find a way to make up for it. Quietly, he closed the door and left the safe house. He would return in a few days and fix the mess he had surely created.

(o)(o)(o)

Duo listened to Heero's footsteps retreat down the hall. He fell back onto his bed, exhausted from the evening preparations. He and Quatre had spent a good portion of the afternoon cooking. Duo wasn't that great a cook, but with Quatre's help, and later Trowa's, they had made a delicious meal. Afterwards, he carefully set the table for two, lit the candles and turned out the lights. He had not planned on Heero receiving a

mission. It had been so quiet lately; he didn't think Heero would be called away.

Now he was left to spend the evening alone. Quatre and Trowa had gone to the movies while Wufei had gone to help the Preventers. With no one home, all their hard work would go unnoticed. He thought about eating alone, but quickly changed his mind. There wasn't any sense in sharing a meal with himself, it would only make him feel worse than he already did. He shouldn't be surprised. It wasn't the first time Heero had been called off on a mission. He is the 'Perfect Soldier' after all. Of course it would be nice if he said no to a mission every once in a while. Besides, the missions always involved Relena somehow.

How he hated the pretty pink princess. She always had some reason to call on Heero's 'services' as she called them. The last mission he had received Relena had wanted him to be her escort at her own birthday. The missions were normally pointless and just an excuse for her to get close to Heero.

Duo stood up and walked to the phone. He wasn't going to waste the evening sitting in an empty house. Picking up the phone he dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Hey, Zechs…"

(o)(o)(o)

Ok, I haven't written a fanfic in a few years so I may be a little rusty on the characters. If I messed something up, please let me know so that I can fix it in the future. If you want me to continue with this let me know, if not I'll start on something different. I don't really know where I'm going with this just yet anyway. If you like what I have so far please tell me what you like about it. If you hate it tell me why. I write to improve so whether you have positive or negative things to say let me know. I wont be crushed or anything by. :P I'm an easy going kind of person. Any and all input would be appreciated. Thanks.


	2. Ch 2 Unexpected Revelation

Ch. 2 Unexpected Revelation

_It feels good to be back. _Heero thought as he entered the house. What he had thought to be a three or four day mission had turned into four months. He hadn't been able to contact any of the other pilots to notify them of what was going on either. The mission had turned out to be very, delicate in a sense and had to be kept quiet. Quatre and surely gone insane with worry by now. He could almost see him pacing the living room, concerned for his well being.

Letting out a sigh, he trudged upstairs to his room. All he wanted was a hot shower and to see Duo again. He hadn't realized how much he really missed the braided, overexcited man. He had been disappointed more than once when we woke up and wasn't greeted by the goofy grin Duo all ways had. He smiled at the memory of Duo's grin as he undressed and got into the shower.

The mission had confirmed the one thing that Heero never wanted to admit to himself or anyone for that matter. He was falling for Duo. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was about the man that made him so attractive. The long braid that followed him every where just begging to be pulled, in which case, he usually did. Maybe it was his fun-loving ways and free spirit. Nothing seemed to bring the pilot down, except him.

The night he left was still fresh in his mind. The meal Duo had prepared for just the two of them. All the hard work he and Quatre had gone through to prepare it. He knew Duo couldn't cook that well so Quatre had probably helped him out, and quite possibly Trowa. Where Quatre was, Trowa was there too. It had all gone to waste and Duo was probably a little upset about him leaving like he did. More than a little upset he'd probably be down right infuriated and he couldn't blame him. He would find a way to make it up to him.

Climbing out of the shower he heard the front door open. Instinctively, he ran to his bed and grabbed his gun from under the pillow. When the familiar voices of the other pilots reached him he returned the gun to its hiding spot. Throwing on some jeans and a tank top, he headed down stairs, anxious to see Duo again. Coming down the stairs he could hear Quatre happily talking with an occasional word from Trowa. Oddly enough, he didn't hear Duo's voice any where in the conversation. Usually it was Duo and Quatre merrily discussing, what ever, while the rest of them just sat nearby and listened.

"Heero!" Quatre yelled bouncing out of his chair to greet him with a hug.

Heero made a quick scan of the room to discover that Duo, in fact, was not in the room.

"Welcome back." Trowa said from the couch noticing Heero look for Duo.

"I was worried sick when you didn't call." Quatre continued, oblivious to what was going on around him. "You were supposed to be back in a few days, not a few months. What happened anyway?"

"Where's Duo?" He asked ignoring Quatre's question. Something wasn't right and he wanted to know why.

Quatre gave a suspicious glance to the other pilots before answering. "About Duo, you see…

Before Quatre could finish Duo yelled from the front door.

"Honey! I'm home!"

Thrilled to hear Duo's voice, he turned towards the door a smile almost coming to his face. His excitement didn't last long when the sight before him set in.

Duo had his back towards him, blocking Heero's view of the man standing just outside the front door. Duo gave him what looked to be a passionate kiss and Heero could feel his temper rising. As they turned he caught sight of the long blonde hair that was undeniably Zechs Marquise. Shock took the place of anger as Duo shut the door.

_Was that what Quatre was trying to tell me? Zechs and Duo are, a couple!_ Heero's mind raced with questions he had no answers for. He didn't want answers, the fact was Duo was with another man, not just any man, but Zechs was more than he could handle. What had happened while he was gone?

(o)(o)(o)

Duo shut the door to see Heero when he turned around to go into the living room. He was surprised to see him standing in the foyer with Quatre. It had been a few months since he had last seen Heero and since then he had moved on. He longer wanted to be on the back burner of their relationship and Heero leaving was the last straw. He looked else where to find what he had needed and ironically ended up with Zechs. Heero would want an explanation though, and he was not about to give one.

"Hey Heero! You just get back?" He said more cheerfully than he felt.

Heero looked at him with a face void of all emotion. He had seen that mask more than once, when they were a battle. He was angry there was no doubt about that.

_Let him be angry, he was the one that walked out on me, on us. _Duo thought as he walked into the living room ignoring the glare he received from Heero. He had spent a lot of time thinking about their nonexistent relationship. Heero would never change and Duo needed more than what Heero was willing to give. So he had decided to move on with someone else. He had confided in Quatre about what he was doing and the reasons for it. More than once Quatre had tried to talk him out of it, but saw that it was what he really wanted and decided to support his decision.

He felt a pang of guilt that he hadn't told Heero about the decision, but how could he? He had left saying he would return in a few days then never showed up. There where no phone calls, no e-mails, not even a letter saying where he was or that he was all right. For the first time he was happy. Not that he wasn't happy with Heero, it was a different kind of happy. Zechs didn't turn away from him for the promise of battle like Heero so often did. He was willing to show affection in public where he had to confine it to the house with Heero. He was priority number one with Zechs where he had been second to Heero. He still had a connection with Heero that he didn't have with Zechs and he clung to it. His one strand of hope that there might still be a chance for them.

(o)(o)(o)

Heero turned on Quatre, infuriated that he hadn't been told about this.

"Was that what you were trying to tell me about?" Heero demanded through gritted teeth.

Quatre nudged him into the kitchen so that he wouldn't risk embarrassing Heero in front of the other pilots.

"Yes, that's what I was trying to warn you about."

"Why wasn't I told about this sooner?"

"How could we, it's not like you contacted us in the past four months."

Heero said nothing, just stared at the blonde haired man. How he would love to throttle

Quatre for not telling him about the situation earlier, but it was his fault he was even in the situation in the first place. His thoughts were so random and chaotic, he needed to get away and figure things out.

"I need to know one thing."

"Sure."

"Is he happy?"

"Happy?"

"Does Zechs make him happy?"

Quatre shrugged. "He says he does, but I know he still has feelings for you. The reason he left you is because you aren't willing to give him what he needs."

"What is that supposed to mean?" His temper flared.

"I don't really know that's all he's ever told me."

Heero grunted in reply and turned to leave.

"Heero! Where are you going?" Quatre called after him.

"Out. I can't be in this house."

"But you just got back, why don't you stay and have something to eat?"

"Not hungry." Heero left the house without another word to anyone.

Trowa entered the kitchen as Heero left. Seeing the worried look on Quatre's face, he

pulled him close for comfort. Soothingly, he ran his hands up and down his back.

"He'll be back, he has no where else to go." Trowa said quietly.

"I know, I'm afraid he's reverting back to his old self, withdrawn and angry."

"We'll just have to let things run their course. There isn't anything else we can do."

Quatre buried his face into Trowa's shoulder. Things were going to be very tense in the house for a while.

(o)(o)(o)

Ok, so here is chapter two. I know things are going a little slow. I'm still in the process of figuring out where I want to go with it. I already have an ending it's just a matter of getting there. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I plan to have the third one posted in a day or two. Let me know what you think.


	3. Ch 3 Tension

Ch. 3 Tension

Heero stormed out of the house as a mixture of anger and sorrow coursed through his body. He should have expected something like this to happen; it wasn't like he ever really "told" Duo how he felt; just naturally assumed that he knew. When did he even start to have feelings for the guy anyway? He had royally screwed things up this time and he wasn't sure if he could even fix it.

He was so deep in thought over the afternoon's events that he didn't see Zechs walking back towards the house. Heero walked right into him and almost sent them both crashing to the ground. Moving out of the way he started on his way when the voice stopped him.

"What, the perfect soldier doesn't have any manners." Came Zechs' voice.

Heero spun around to look at him face to face. His temper changed from angry to blind rage. This man had taken Duo, his Duo away and now acted as if were the most normal thing in the world to converse with the newly dumped ex back from war. Heero was not in a forgiving mood at the moment and wanted nothing to do with Duo's new fling.

He wasn't sure if it was energy pent up from his last mission or the fact that Zechs enraged him so much just by associating with Duo let alone dating him, but he snapped. Before the Marquise even knew what was going on Heero hit him square in the face sending him toppling over backwards. His whole body shook from the rage he felt towards the man and he had the sudden urge to shoot him. Instead, he managed to control himself enough to walk away. It wasn't Zechs fault for all of this, though it did feel good to hit him. No, he had no one to blame but himself and no one else could fix this mess for him. We wandered off aimlessly into the vast forest that surrounded the house.

(o)(o)(o)

Quatre couldn't take the tension any more; it was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Heero had reverted to his old ways with his emotionless mask on all the time. He rarely spoke except to acknowledge someone and half the time that was just a "hm". He hadn't eaten in at least a week and it was starting to show. Avoiding Duo had become some sort of mission of his. Once, when Duo was coming up the stairs, Heero jumped out the window and scaled down the trellis to avoid seeing him. There was a slight change in him, however, and Quatre wasn't sure if it was for the better, or worse. Heero no longer faced things head on any more, instead he chose to avoid confrontation every chance he got.

Duo, on the other hand, paraded around the house like Heero had never returned. He continued to see Zechs, which no one could fault him for, but he seemed to be rubbing it into Heero's face every chance he got. If he thought Heero might be watching, he would lavish Zechs with affection.

The subtle war that was being waged more or less by Duo was becoming an annoyance. Wufei had all but moved out, staying with Sally Po almost every day of the week. Trowa was threatening to find an apartment and drag Quatre off with him until things died down a little. They rarely spoke to one another and when they did, it all ways ended in an argument.

"Duo, you have to talk to him. This isn't working." Quatre said angrily at breakfast one morning. "It's been three weeks since Heero came back and you haven't said more than two words to the guy."

"Sure I have." Duo replied stuffing a piece of pancake in his mouth. "When he came back I said 'Hey Heero! You just get back?'"

Quatre glared at him but Duo just laughed it off. Quatre didn't scare him when he was angry. He was a kind, gentle person and always tried to help, in this case he was genuinely angry.

"Can't you see that he loves you Duo?"

"He sure does have an odd way of showing it by hitting Zechs."

"You don't get it do you? He could have killed him, but he chose to walk away. He only hit him out of jealousy."

"Then why doesn't he speak up about it?"

"Because that isn't who he is Duo and you know that."

"Well, he'll just have change then."

"You're so stubborn, the both of you!" Quatre yelled as he stormed out of the room to find Trowa.

Duo sat in the kitchen finishing his breakfast when Heero walked in. He noticed that Heero looked a little on the thin side, his face gaunt; he wondered about it. He said nothing as he watched Heero pour himself some coffee then leave the room, his face a blank mask. His stomach twisted with guilt. He shouldn't have flaunted his relationship with Zechs in Heero's face. Though he had strong feelings for Zechs, the emotional and physical attraction was much greater towards Heero.

He missed the nights he had spent curled up on Heero's chest sleeping. Or the way he ran his fingers through his hair in the morning to wake him up followed by gentle kisses along his collar bone. He had all ways been amazed at how gentle Heero could be when he want to. Those moments were few and far between and Duo had to relish every moment they had before another mission came in. That's when he took a back seat in Heero's life and became the second priority.

Zechs, on the other hand made him feel wanted, important. They went out in public and weren't afraid to show affection. He would drop what ever he was doing if Duo ever needed him. If they planned something, Zechs was sure to show up early so that he wouldn't miss anything. That's what he liked most about him; that he never ditched out on him like Heero always did. He felt loved and was happy, but not like he was with Heero.

(o)(o)(o)

Heero hadn't eaten in the past week and a half and the noises from his stomach were a testament to that. Food did not sound appealing at the moment as so often was the case. Depression had taken over some time during the second week after he returned. Duo constantly had Zechs over to show him how happy he was with someone else, which started his lack of interest in eating. He knew he had lost weight, he could see it in the mirror, but he didn't care. If he wasted away what would it matter?

He desperately wanted to tell Duo how he felt but couldn't bring himself to do it, that and the blonde god was always at Duo's side. Instead he worked endless hours at the Preventers office and took every assignment that came his way regardless of how petty it was. Anything that could get him out of the house and away from the nightmare he was living with every day.

Pushing open the kitchen door he saw Duo sitting at the table eating his breakfast and butterflies replaced his hunger pains. Duo lounged casually in his chair wearing only a pair of pants. His tanned chest exposed to the world. How he missed rubbing his hands down his chest and over his abs, making him moan with pleasure. Those days were gone now and Duo no longer wanted him. He poured himself a cup of coffee and headed back to his room.

The sight of Duo would be forever burned into his memory. It would be the last memory he had of him because he was leaving the house today and had no plans to return. He didn't exactly know where he was going, but it was going to be far away from Duo.

Returning to his room he set the coffee cup down and changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He then threw what little belongings he had into a bag and removed the gun from under his pillow, hiding it on himself in case he needed it. Heading down the hallway he didn't see Quatre who was also deep in thought and slammed into him.

"Sorry." Quatre mumbled, about to continue on when he noticed the bag Heero was carrying. "What's all that?"

"I'm moving out Quatre." Heero said sounding a little depressed.

"Where? You don't have any where to go." Quatre fumbled over the words, stunned that

Heero would leave the house to go who knows where.

"I don't know and at this point I really don't care. I can't take any more of Duo parading that blonde jerk in my face."

"Then why don't you do something about it?"

"I am, by moving out. Duo is obviously better off without me, so I'm going to let him move on with his life."

"That's not what I meant. Duo still has feelings for you he's just waiting for you to tell him." It was an endless cycle and Quatre couldn't seem to get out of it. He was constantly repeating the same things and neither one was listening to him.

"I shouldn't have to tell him, he should already know how I feel."

"Some times they just need to be heard."

Heero shrugged and continued down the stairs.

Quatre stood at the top of the stairs as he watched the Wing pilot disappear out the door. This was going to end and it was going to end now, even if he had to strangle both pilots to accomplish it.

(o)(o)(o)

Ok, I'm not sure how much I like this chapter, but it gets me to the next one which I have a great idea for. So if this one seems a little out in left field, I apologize. I may end up rewriting this one at a later date. Hope you enjoy this update.


	4. Ch 4 A Well Deserved Bruise

Ch. 4 Unexpected Bruise

"Duo!" Quatre bellowed coming down the stairs. He had totally forgotten about finding Trowa. "Duo! Where the hell are you baka?"

Duo emerged from the kitchen, a stunned look on his face. He couldn't believe the language Quatre was using. One look at his face told him why. Quatre had never looked so enraged, it almost looked as if he were about to kill someone. That thought made him a little nervous since it was he Quatre was looking for in the first place.

Quatre marched up to him looking every bit as threatening as Heero. Then, out of no where, something slammed into his jaw. It was hard, real hard considering he hit the ground a second later. His vision swam for a moment before he realized what had happened. He could see Quatre's fist clenched at his side, shaking with fury. Duo wasn't sure if he should be angry or surprised. It was the first time the normally passive; peace loving man had ever lashed out.

"What was that for?" he demanded, still confused as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Someone had to knock some sense into you!" Quatre managed to say. It had never felt so good to hit someone. He should have done it a long ago.

"What?" Duo asked, confused as hell, but at least he wasn't on the ground any more.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you? You are going to fix things with Heero. I don't care how you do it, just do it!" He commanded.

Duo had never seen Quatre so, Heero like. He was almost afraid to disobey his order.

"If I chose not to?" He dared to question. A second later he got his answer when he was on the floor again.

"Then get out of my house." He bit out venomously. "I will not have you waging war in my house. When you can act civilly to Heero, then you can come back, until then," he motioned towards the door, "see yourself out."

Shock had thoroughly set in. Quatre was kicking him out of the only place he had to stay. He wasn't sure what to do from here.

"Can you answer something for me?"

Quatre motioned him to continue.

"What brought this on?"

"You can't see what's right in front of you so I'm going to make you see. Heero is killing himself and you don't even seem to care. He shows you how much he loves you through his actions, not words and you can't seem to understand that. I hope now you understand a little better." His anger began to fade as his adrenaline rush wore off.

Duo thought back on the past few weeks. Heero hadn't said anything to him, in fact he had down right avoided him. The few times he did see Heero he looked horrible. He had lost quite a bit of weight and it seemed he no longer slept. Wufei had mentioned that he worked day at the Preventers' office unless a mission came in, then he was off. He tried to keep as busy as possible to avoid what was going on, the war he had started.

Climbing up off the floor a second time, he headed for the door.

"One more thing Quatre."

"Yeah…

"Great right hook." He said, closing the door behind him.

Quatre turned to go back upstairs when he saw Trowa and Wufei standing behind him. There was concern in Trowa's eyes making all his tension disappear. He wanted to collapse against his strong chest and fall asleep.

"Do you feel better?" Trowa asked pulling him into his arms and caressing away the last of his anger.

"Much."

(o)(o)(o)

Duo took his time walking to his car, hoping that at the last moment Quatre would throw open the door begging him to stay. The thought was fleeting, however, Quatre had been extremely pissed, as he felt his jaw tenderly. He was sure there would be a bruise to remind him daily of how much he had screwed up. Quatre had gotten his point across and very thoroughly.

He climbed into his car and started it, the hum of the engine a soothing sound. Pulling out of the driveway he realized that he didn't have anything with him. No clothes, weapons, nothing. There was no way Quatre was going to let him back into the house without Heero. What did it matter? He didn't have any place to go. He would have to go to the only place he knew of that wouldn't turn him down, Zechs.

(o)(o)(o)

"Stay as long as you like." Zechs said as they sat in the living room. "You're things are all ready in your room.

"My things?" Duo asked wondering how Zechs knew he would be coming.

"Yes, Quatre called a little while ago and said that you would need a place to stay. So I had him send you things over so that they would be here when you arrived."

Duo smiled into his cup. So Quatre wasn't heartless after all, though he must be some sort of psychic sending his things ahead of him. That or it was common knowledge that he spent a lot of time in the Marquise home.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go unpack."

"Not at all, just go up the stairs, you're the first door on the right. I also put some things in the medicine chest for your bruise. Quatre warned me you'd be coming with one." He laughed softly. "I can't believe it was Quatre that hit you. Of all the people I never thought it would be him."

Duo shrugged, "Me neither." Ending the conversation Duo went upstairs to his room. Sure enough, all his things had been delivered. _How thoughtful of him. _Duo thought a little sarcastically.

As he started to unpack a crisp, white envelope fell onto the floor. Turning it over he discovered his name scrawled on the front, in Heero's handwriting. He sat down on the bed hands shaking. _This has to be a joke. _He thought. There was no way that Heero had written him a letter. Yet, here it was, right in front of him. Nervously he opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper enclosed within it.

(o)(o)(o)

I want to thank everyone for the reviews. In all honesty I didn't think anyone would read my fic or give at review in the first place. So coolie points to you all. I want to give a special thanks to Muchacha for your review. It was awesome and I hope you enjoy Quatre a little more in this chapter. :P I apologize if things are going slow but my mind seems to be working at a much slower pace than when I first started. Things are going to get better. I promise.


	5. Ch 5 Confession from a Soldier

Ch. 5 Confession from a Soldier

_Duo Maxwell,_

_I was made painfully aware that I do not deserve a man such as you. I took everything you had to offer and gave little in return. For that, I am sorry. All you ever wanted was to hear me say that I love you. You should have been hearing it all along, but I for once, the perfect soldier didn't know what do. I used and abused you in a way that no man ever deserves. I was never there when you wanted me, never there when you needed me. I couldn't see what a perfect gift I had right in front of me. Now that you're gone, I see what I have lost. I can't say that I blame you for leaving me to find happiness with another man. If it had been me in your shoes, I would have done the same thing. In all honesty, I took it pretty hard when I found that out, but looking back I can't remember any good things I've done for you._

_That night so many months ago is still fresh in my mind. The candle lit dinner you had planned, just for the two of us. I wondered then what the consequences of my leaving would bring but did nothing to stop it. Instead I chose to leave assuming that you would be there waiting for me as you so often had in the past. I treated you as if you were a piece of property, something I had access to any time of the day, and if I needed, I could put you on a shelf until I needed you again. I made you the second most important thing in my life when you should have been the first._

_I remember the quiet nights we shared, few as they had been, and the passionate love we made in the early hours of the morning. I often find myself listening for your breathing to lull me to sleep as it has in the past. For my bedroom door to bang open as you barge in announcing breakfast. How I miss the days when I could run my fingers through your hair or how you yell when I pull on it. All the small things I took for granted, things I never paid much attention to until now. You were the only one that ever really knew me, the man behind the 'perfect soldier' mask. I was never afraid to be me when I was with you. _

_Being gone showed me how I much I really care for you. I don't know when or how it happened, but somehow you managed to slip into my heart forever. You have made me a better man by showing this 'perfect soldier' that there's more to life than war. Love can be just as rewarding, if not more. I admired you in secrecy. How carefree you are and how easily you relate to the other pilots. Your mere presence brought light to my dark life. I always wondered how you did that or how could have such an effect on me. You made me human again. For the first time I knew what it was like to truly feel. I'm a fool, a fool for falling in love with someone and then letting them go. You slipped out of my world as quietly as you had entered._

_I want to change, try to change, but I can't be the person you want me to be. I have to be me and no one else. You'll have to accept me for who I am and if you can't, then I'm genuinely happy that you found it with someone else. I have never been able to express myself in words, which is why you are gone. How could I have been so blind to what was going on? I should have seen the signs long ago, paid more attention, something, anything that would have saved us. _

_By now I am sure that you know I have left Quatre's house not to return. I couldn't stay in the same house knowing you were arms length away yet miles away at the same time. It was torture to see you every day knowing that you weren't mine, but then, you were never mine. You chose to stay and when I no longer gave you a reason to stay, you left. Now, I'm left to find my own way in this world._

_I love you, I always have and always will. The hardest thing for me to do is walk out the door knowing that you won't be there when I return. It scares me that you may never return and I will have lost you forever. At least for now there is still hope that I will be with you again. I seem to have pushed you away thinking it was for the best and that having such an attachment would make me weak. I was wrong, without you, I AM weak, I am no longer human but a machine once more, joining the ranks of thousands of other soldier. You are my strength, my life, my everything. Without you I am nothing more than a black void wandering aimlessly. _

_I wish you and Zechs the best of luck. I hope that you are happy and found what it was that I couldn't give you. I know that one day 'the perfect soldier' and 'the god of death' will meet again on different terms and maybe then, things will work out._

_Good bye Duo._

_Signed,_

_Heero Yuy_

Duo let the paper fall from his hands onto the floor. Wasn't that what he had wanted all along? Heero to tell him that he loved him, felt something for him. Why did he feel so bad? The letter didn't feel right, like Heero was pushed to say it. Of course he had been pushed to write it. It's what he had wanted and Heero did the best he could to provide it one last time.

He had just done the same thing that Heero had done to him, but with the sole purpose to hurt him. Now he was finding that he had done more damage than he had intended. The last part had him on edge. What did he mean "good bye"? Heero was the suicidal one out of the group when they were on a mission. Something was very wrong with this whole situation.

He rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to get rid of the headache he felt coming on. There was so much going on, he didn't even know where to start. Everything was just a jumbled mess. Quatre must have known about the letter, it was the only logical reason for him to have lashed out as he had. If he HAD known about it, then why hadn't he said anything sooner? Duo shook his head trying to make sense of everything that was going on. Quatre had been right all along. Heero had been worth fighting for; instead he had given up on the only person that had needed him most.

There was a soft knock on his door. He didn't want any visitors but it would be rude to leave them standing with no answer. He walked to the door and opened it. Zechs stood on the other side, hands clasped behind his back. Duo felt his heart drop, for a brief instant he had thought it would be Heero standing in front of him. Odd that Heero was all ways at the fore front of his thoughts, while at the same time he was trying to leave him.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour, if you would like to join me."

"Yeah, sure." Duo said his thoughts on anything but food at the moment.

"Is everything all right?"

"What? Yeah, everything's fine." How different they were, Zechs and Heero. Zechs was everything Heero wasn't, everything he wanted, right? Then why did it feel so wrong to be with Zechs? It felt like something very important was missing.

"He's only a phone call away Duo." Zechs said as he headed down the stairs.

It seemed that everyone else knew what was going on but him. He wanted to slam the door shut and throw something across the room. Instead, he simply shut the door and threw him self face down on the bed. Things had become overly complicated. Maybe he could just smoother himself and it would all go away, but that would be taking the easy way out.

What was wrong with him? Things had been so easy when Heero was gone, they had only become more complicated since his return. That was the point though, Heero was gone then and he just cut his emotions from him. Now that he was back, all the feelings he had for the man had haunted him. It had been so easy to pretend they didn't exist when he wasn't around. Heero was a constant reminder of the feelings he so desperately tried to ignore and forget.

He's only a phone call away, Zechs' voice echoed in his head. All he had to do was pick up the phone. What would he say? They hadn't spoken in almost five months. He didn't think Heero would even want to talk to him in the first place. He would wait until after dinner, then he would call. Rolling off the bed he finished unpacking his things and took a shower.

(o)(o)(o)

As appealing as the food smelled, Duo had no appetite at the moment; his thoughts going back to the letter Heero had written.

His face must have betrayed his thoughts when Zechs asked, "Did you call him?"

"No, I thought I would do it after dinner." He replied still deep in thought.

"You might want to get your thoughts straight first." He commented, folding his napkin and placing it on the table. "There are obviously some conflicting thoughts going on."

Was he that easy to read? Zechs had always been observant of his surroundings, it's one of the things that made him a great soldier. Then again, Zechs seemed to always know what was bothering him. It was one of traits he liked about Zechs, he never had to bottle up his emotions, just, say whatever was on his mind. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

Zechs made him feel important, like nothing else in the world mattered except what he had to say. He was always there when he needed him, yet had time to himself. They had never been intimate, Zechs seemed to have sensed that he needed to move slowly. Emotionally, Zechs was everything and then some, but Duo didn't have the physical attraction that he had with Heero, though there was a physical attraction or sorts. Not to say that the Lightening Count was unattractive it was quite the opposite. Once, he had gone to use the shower and accidentally walked in on him. He didn't regret it, he had actually been intrigued by his physique. He reminded him of a blonde god. Zechs had not been ashamed when he found Duo looking at him from the doorway.

His attachment to Zechs had grown over the months. The lack of intimacy wasn't a problem in their relationship, where he and Heero had built there's around it. They actually HAD a relationship, both giving and taking equally. There were no demands, no expectations, just enjoying one another's company. He had a lot to think about a lot to consider before he made his next move. Excusing himself from the table, he took his time getting to his room.

Changing out of his clothes and into a pair bed pants, he slid into bed suddenly exhausted. He hoped that sleep would shed some light on the new situation unfolding before him.

(o)(o)(o)

Well here's chapter 5. I got some good reviews on the last chapter with Quatre. HeHe. I thought I would throw that in for fun. I'm not sure if this chapter will meet expectations but I have a surprise ending for this story, stay tuned. :P


	6. Ch 6 The Call

Ch. 6 The Call

Duo woke to something warm lying next to him. He rolled over to see a form facing away from him. From the moonlight that streamed in through the window he could make out an unruly mass of brown hair. It was undeniably Heero's, no one else had hair as wild as his, unless you count Trowa's, but at least his all went in one direction. He froze in shock wondering how Heero had managed to get into his room. Then again, he could infiltrate anything, being the perfect soldier that he was.

Duo was almost afraid to move, afraid that he was dreaming and Heero would vanish before him. There was something odd about the situation, he figured Heero would have been long gone, why would he be here, in his room? He continued to stare at the back of his ex-lover, to nervous to say or do anything. After lying there for ten minutes he had enough courage to say something.

"Heero…

There was no answer.

"Heero!" He said a little louder.

Still no answer.

"Heero?" He was growing concerned. Heero was a very light sleeper and would have responded by now.

Nothing.

Propping himself on his elbow he reached over to wake him. His skin was damp with sweat and cold to the touch. This was not right, how could he feel the warmth from his skin if it was cold?

"Heero? Are you ok?" He could hear the fear in his voice. Heero had never been sick a day in his life, injured, yes, but never sick.

Leaning over he turned on the light, his voice caught in his throat. What he had thought to be sweat was blood, a lot of it. Nervously he turned around to see Heero's arm coated in it. Throwing back the covers he realized that it wasn't the warmth of his body he'd felt, but the blood that was now staining the sheets a crimson color.

He pulled Heero over onto his back to find out where the blood was coming from. There was so much that it seemed to be draining from every pore on his body. Looking up at his face he wasn't greeted by the shining cobalt blue eyes that had mesmerized him in the past, but the black, soulless, eyes of a dead man.

He stumbled backwards trying to get away from the horrifying scene before him. Some how he tripped over his own two feet and fell. Dazed for a moment, he sat up and a horrified scream tore from his throat. He was coated in blood; it stained his cloths and dripped from his fingers

(o)(o)(o)

Duo bolted upright in bed covered in sweat. He yanked the sheets back to discover, nothing, there was nothing there. It had been a dream, no, a nightmare and a horrible one at that. What was wrong with him? Why had he dreamed Heero's death? He pulled his knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them for comfort.

The scream he'd had in his dream must have been real because Zechs burst into the room in full battle mode. He looked like he was ready to kill someone; the look on his face was almost as bad as Heero's death glare.

"Dou, are you alright?" He asked when he realized the room was empty.

"Blood, there was so much blood. It was every where." Duo replied, the dream a vivid image in his mind.

"What are you talking about, there isn't any blood." Zechs sat down and pulled him to his chest. "It was just a nightmare, Duo. There isn't any blood, it was just a dream."

Somehow, Duo didn't find comfort in his words. It had been a horrible nightmare, one he wouldn't forget easily.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Zechs questioned, trying to help.

"I'd rather not, at least for now." His voice came, shakily.

They sat in silence for some time before Zechs released him. There wasn't anything else he could do but be there for him. When Duo wanted to talk he would. Until then, he would have to be patient. It must have been something terrible for 'the god of death' to wake up covered in sweat. Moving Duo to a nearby chair, he removed the linens from the bed and replaced them with fresh ones from the closet.

Duo was lost in thought as he left the room. He wished he could wipe away the memory of whatever it was Duo had seen, but he couldn't. He returned to his own room knowing that he wouldn't get back to sleep.

(o)(o)(o)

Duo sat a long while before he realized that 'the lightening count' had left his room. He didn't even realize that there were clean sheets on the bed. The dream kept reply itself over and over again; nothing he did would stop it. Sitting on the bed he looked at the clock on the nightstand.

2:37 am. He thought he had slept later than that but dreams can have that kind of effect on time. Making it seems as if hours have passed when in reality, it had only been a few minutes. He thought about picking up the phone to call Quatre, but he was probably still mad at him. Screw it, if he was mad, he would get over it, if not, being woken up at 2:30 in the morning would be punishment enough.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number, nervously. He hoped Quatre wouldn't hang up on him as soon as he heard his voice.

"Hello?" Came a sleepy voice.

"Quatre, its Duo."

"You want to know where Heero is."

The man must be psychic.

(o)(o)(o)

First I would like to thank anon for the review. Old habits die hard. I used to get in trouble with the English teacher for writing always instead of 'all ways', stupid jerk. I did notice it, however and will work on writing it as It would probably make things a little easier to read that way. Anyway here's the next chapter, a little short, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.


	7. Ch 7 Return to L2

Ch. 7 Return to L2

He had left right after his call to Quatre. The man knew everything, it was scary. He hadn't told Quatre about the dream, no use in making him worry. Besides, if something happened to Heero, Quatre would be the first to know. Duo was having a hard time finding Heero. Obviously, Heero knew Quatre would tell him where he was headed and took measures to avoid it. When Heero wanted to make himself scarce, you would have a hell of a time finding him. The odds were against him, but it was always like that.

Heero had gone to the most obvious place, at first seeking refuge with the pink nightmare. Relena was probably overjoyed when Heero asked if he could stay. He wasn't there long; by the time Duo had gotten there he had already left. It seemed that he was always a step ahead.

It had now been two months since he had set out in search of Heero. He was in constant contact with Quatre gaining new leads every now and again. He had traveled all over the country and even out of country. Heero had gone to America for a week or so before disappearing again. Duo had always wondered why he hadn't gone to Japan, but there was a lot he didn't know about Heero. The most current lead was taking him back to the L2 colony. Why Heero had gone there was anyone's guess, but it was the closest Duo had been to him.

He stared out the window of the shuttle. How different space seemed when you weren't being shot at. It was peaceful to look at with billions of stars glowing faintly in some distant galaxy. He never had the time to admire the beauty of space or Earth for that matter. Resting his head against the back of the chair he closed his eyes, hoping that the bloody nightmare wouldn't haunt his dreams. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept without that nightmare.

A few hours later he felt a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him.

"Sir, the shuttle is landing." The flight attendant informed him.

He acknowledged her with a nod and stretched to work the kinks out of his legs. It had been a long time since he had been to the colonies. After descending to Earth he found that he actually liked 'the realness' of it, not the artificial surroundings provided by the colonies.

The shuttle landed and rolled to a stop. Pulling his bag out of an overhead compartment he heard the pilot announce that they could now exit the shuttle. Duo didn't have the faintest idea where to start looking for Heero; all he had to go on was where he was last seen. First thing on the agenda, he would need a place to stay.

Leaving the shuttle station he was greeted by the fresh smell of flowers and warm sunshine. He decided to take his time looking for Heero for a little while. It had been a long time since he'd last enjoyed himself. Wandering down the street, he saw a park in the distance. A few moments of relaxation wouldn't kill anyone, he hoped. The atmosphere seemed to be more laid back than on Earth. People casually went about their business not in any real hurry to get anywhere or be some place. Or it could be that it was a Saturday and there weren't many people out.

The park was peaceful with only the hum of the insects and songs from the birds. He could almost see himself settling down here. A warm breeze picked up bringing with it the sounds laughter, one was oddly familiar but he couldn't place it. It was a laugh that he had heard very rarely in the past.

Duo wracked his brain trying to remember where he had heard it when something stopped him dead in his tracks. At the bottom of the hill he was standing on, was Heero. It was Heero's laugh he had heard, but there was something odd with the scene below, besides the fact that Heero was laughing. He moved behind a tree in case Heero's soldier skills kicked in and discovered someone watching him.

Heero was not only laughing, but smiling, something that never happened, except for in the confines of the bedroom. Not only that but he was tossing a little girl into the air? Was she a mission the Preventers had sent him on? She couldn't be, Heero always took his job seriously, he'd never be caught smiling and laughing.

"Again! Again!" The little girl cried out merrily, tears streaming from her eyes with happiness.

Duo had never seen Heero so happy. He seemed to enjoying himself, not the depressing Heero that had left Quatre's house two months before. Something drastic must have happened for Heero to take a mission where he had to baby sit some child.

"No more for today. We have to get back to the house." Heero was saying.

"Awe." She complained feigning disappointment.

"Come on, up you go." He hoisted her onto his shoulders and they headed out of the park.

_What is going on? _Dou wondered. Something was terribly wrong with this situation. He decided to follow them and get to the bottom of things. He would need to be sneaky about it, Heero was a smart man and he knew when something was up.

A few minutes later they came to a very nice looking house with the cliché white picket fence in the front yard. It was a simple house, nothing fancy. This had to be the weirdest mission Duo had ever seen. They always received mission for the up tight, high end clients, this just screamed foul play.

Heero set the girl down and she took off around the corner of the house.

"Hey!" Heero yelled, amused, "Get back here!" Closing the gate he followed after her.

Duo decided it would be best for him to come back later when he had his thoughts straight. He thought he would be able to talk to Heero privately. It never occurred to him that he might be on a mission. He wasn't even sure what to say to the guy. At least his dream hadn't come true. Heero was alive and looked better than ever.

He found a hotel a few blocks away and decided to catch up on some sleep before he confronted Heero. He would need all the strength he had. He didn't bother unpacking, just threw his bag on the floor and collapsed on the bed. Things were about to get interesting.

(o)(o)(o)

Duo stood on the doorstep to the house Heero and the little girl had stopped at earlier. His hands were shaking as he knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knocked harder, a second time, still no answer. Checking the door handle and discovered it was unlocked. He pushed the door open, the light in the living room was on, but the rest of the house was dark.

"Hello!" He called from the door. "Anybody here?"

Silence.

He didn't like that; Heero would have been all over him by now thinking him to be an intruder. Wasn't he though? He was entering a house without permission, then again, he had made his presence known and no one had answered. Closing the door softly behind him and headed up the stairs.

An eerie feeling came over him as he started to look in the upstairs bedrooms. In the third room he came to, he saw a form stretched out on the bed.

"Heero?" He whispered, not daring to enter the room unannounced.

No answer.

"Heero!" he whispered a little louder, entering the room.

Still no answer.

"Heero?"

Nothing.

His dream was happening all over again, he had to be dreaming, this couldn't be real. Moving to the bed he touched Heero's arm, it was damp. _Please be a dream, please be a dream. _Duo recited to himself as he reached for the bedside lamp. Closing his eyes, he flicked on the light. He begged to see cobalt eyes staring back at him. Slowly he opened his eyes and screamed. He wasn't dreaming. Heero was covered in blood, and the black soulless eyes that haunted him day and night where staring back at him.

Duo stumbled backwards, too terrified to do anything else. He fell on the ground and backed into a chair. This couldn't be happening, he had to be dreaming, it was all a dream. Heero wasn't dead, he had just seen him alive and well, what was going on? The

body sat up and looked at him. He closed his eyes, wishing it would all disappear.

(o)(o)(o)

Heero woke with a start when someone screamed next to him. He was instantly aware that his body was covered in something wet. Bolting upright in bed he saw Duo cowering in front of the chair eyes closed and crying. What had come over the man and what was he doing in his house?

"Duo?" Heero said, trying to get his attention. He was to hysterical so hear him. "Duo!"

He yelled.

Duo suddenly stopped and looked up at him and screamed again. Had he lost it? Had the

wars been that bad that Duo had lost his sanity?

"The blood, there's so much." Duo was mumbling.

"Duo, what blood?" Heero demanded.

"It's just a dream, Heero's not dead, the blood isn't real, his eyes, blue, not black." Duo went on rambling.

_Blood? _Heero wondered. Looking down at himself he discovered that he was covered in fake blood. _Little munchkin _he thought smiling to himself. _How could I have slept through all of this?_

He kneeled down in front of Duo and took his hands in his.

"Duo, it's alright, it's just fake blood. I'm not dead."

Dou hadn't heard a word he'd said, he was to hysterical. Heero slapped him to get his attention.

"Duo, it's alright, it's fake blood. I'm not dead." He repeated in his monotone voice.

Duo stared up at him, the words taking a moment to register. Heero wasn't dead; he was sitting in front of him, alive. He could have kissed the man if a little girls sleepy voice hadn't come from the doorway.

"Daddy?"

(o)(o)(o)

Don't you just love cliffhangers? Ok, as I got to this chapter I decided to make this story take place after the wars. So I will be in the process of fixing my earlier chapters to reflect this. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I plan to have another one out today, if not, then by tomorrow afternoon.


	8. Ch 8 Good Bye

Ch. 8 Good Bye

_Daddy? Now I know I'm dreaming. _Duo thought. Heero wasn't the type of guy to settle down and have a family. It wasn't in his nature.

Heero noted the surprised look on Duo's face. He would need to sit down and explain the situation to him. Before he did that, he needed to see Mary to her bed.

"Daddy?" She asked again, hugging her teddy bear.

He left Duo to meet Mary in the doorway.

"Everything is alright Mary, go back to bed."

"Ok."

Quietly following behind her, he watched her climb into bed before closing the door. Red foot prints were splattered on the hardwood floor. He would clean it up in the morning.

Duo was still sitting in the chair when he returned to his room. He looked as if he was still trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

"Mind if I shower?"

"Whatever." Duo said harshly.

Heero didn't care, he needed to shower and he wasn't about to go back to bed without one. The sheets would need to be changed as well.

(o)(o)(o)

Duo sat in mild confusion. Had he heard what he thought he'd heard? That little girl called Heero daddy. How was this possible? Heero was gay after all. The door to the bathroom opened and Heero walked out rubbing a towel over his hair. He had nothing on but a pair of pants. He watched Heero yank the blankets off the bed and replace them with clean ones.

"Yes Duo, she's my daughter." Heero answered before Duo could pose the question. "It's already been DNA proven." He added as an after thought.

_That was easy. _Duo thought.

"Why are you covered in fake blood then?" he asked getting to the next question plaguing him. Dou found Heero's smile out of place.

"She likes to play pranks to try and scare me."

"It wasn't that scary." Duo stated.

"Scared you didn't it." Heero replied in his normal monotone voice.

Duo frowned. "I thought it was…

"A dream." Heero finished.

"Yes."

"Why are you here?"

_Wow, he doesn't waste any time does he? _Duo thought. His mind raced to come up with an excuse. In the end he decided to tell the truth.

"I came looking for you. I…" he hesitated wondering if Heero would think him nuts. "I had a dream that you were dead."

"That would explain why you were rambling about blood, blue eyes not black."

Duo nodded slightly.

"We'll discuss it in the morning. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Yeah, it's a few blocks away."

Heero shook his head. "You'll stay here tonight." He said in his 'you'll do what I say or regret it' voice.

Duo tried to refuse anyway, but Heero wouldn't take no for an answer. He led him into one of the rooms he'd looked in earlier. As Duo settled in he could hear Heero checking the house for intruders and setting the alarm.

"So, he wasn't as soft as I'd thought." Dou said quietly to himself.

(o)(o)(o)

Duo woke to the sounds of laughter and screaming, followed by the patter of bare feet on the wood floor. He couldn't picture Heero being the loving father, yet here he was, doing just that. It was a constant shock every time he thought of Heero with a daughter. Suddenly his door burst open and the little girl walked in. Good thing he'd decided to sleep with is clothes on.

"Bekfist redy!" she yelled then laughed as she skipped down the stairs.

Duo assumed she was telling him breakfast was ready and climbed out of bed. Her bubbly personality could rival Quatre's. There was no way she could be Heero's, no way. He was too, cold, emotionless, a battle hardened soldier. How could he go from that to Mr. Happy in the blink of an eye. Heero had said they would discuss it in the morning. Maybe all his questions would finally be answered and he wouldn't be so confused.

Going down the stair he could smell bacon, eggs, toast and a few other things coming from down stairs. Entering the kitchen he saw a feast laid out on the table with Mary eagerly munching on a piece of toast, Heero was no where to be found. She looked up at him as he entered a smile spreading across her face.

"Sit here! Sit here!" she said excitedly climbing off her chair to pull out one next to her.

Dou did as she asked, well it was more like told, one of Heero's attributes, and sat down next to her. Climbing back into her own chair, she sat on her knees and continued eating her toast. He wasn't sure if he should start to eat without Heero or not. A few seconds later Heero appeared and whisked the little girl off to her room. Returning a few minutes later he helped himself to breakfast.

"Don't tell me you've lost you're appetite." He said in the monotone voice Duo was so used to hearing.

Actually, he was starved, but he wanted to know what was going on. Everything he knew about the man made no sense at all. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

"I'll explain while you eat." Heero said as he poured himself some coffee. He had figured Duo wanted answers and wasn't going to eat until he had them. As Duo started pilling things onto his plate, Heero began to explain.

"I did some things during the wars that I'm not particularly proud of, one of which resulted in Mary." He said in a casual tone. "That night I discovered that I was gay." Heero noted Duo's shocked expression. "I wasn't born knowing I was gay." He stated, to him it seemed like common sense, but Duo could be slow at times. "The whole thing felt wrong, but I desperately needed information." He continued.

"I understand, you did what you had to do." How was it that he was just now finding this out? Why hadn't he known sooner?

"I didn't find out about her until a year or so ago, by then she was already one. I never knew her mother, or even her name, but she had put me down as the father. When she died they contacted me through Lady Une."

_Lady Une knew! How the hell else knows?_ Duo wondered. He shoved more food into his mouth to hide his growing anger.

"Trust me, I was just as shocked as you when I found out. I had a DNA test to be sure. When it came back positive I knew I couldn't leave her alone in this world like I had." He sipped at his coffee thinking back on the day he'd met Mary. "I didn't want her to turn out like me so last year I started going on more 'missions', when I was actually getting all our affairs in order."

"So the four months that you were gone you were….

"I was here spending time Mary until I could get her to Earth."

Duo sat back in his chair taking it all in. He was angry, angry with Heero and himself. He had given up on Heero because he thought he didn't care, when in reality he did care, but also needed to care for his daughter. Heero should have told him about it instead of keeping it a secret. If he had known he never would have gotten involved with Zechs. Things were even more complicated now than they had been before the explanation.

He had come here to find Heero and resolve the conflict he had started between them. They may have even gotten back together, but now, he wasn't sure he could be involved with someone who didn't trust him enough to tell him that he had a daughter.

"I can't be with you Heero." Duo gritted out between clenched teeth.

"I know." He responded bluntly.

Duo stood up not knowing what else to do. He didn't want to be around Heero, didn't want to look at him. The pitter patter of feet turned his attention towards the living room. There, entering the kitchen dressed in a purple sun dress with yellow socks and a white hat was a constant reminder that he and Heero could never be.

"Good bye Heero." He walked out of the house and never looked back. He knew Heero and Mary were watching him leave and it broke his heart knowing he was leaving behind the one man he had ever loved.

(o)(o)(o)

Heero and Mary watched Duo leave. He knew that when Duo found out about his daughter that he would leave for good; it was one of the reasons he hadn't told him sooner. Now he was walking out of his life forever because he had made a mistake in the past that he didn't regret.

"Whos dat?" Mary asked a frown on her face.

Heero thought a moment on how to answer her. "That was my best friend." He replied doing his best to keep the sadness out of his voice.

"He comin back?"

"No, I don't think so."

(o)(o)(o)

Well, here's ch. 8. Maybe this will clear things up a little for all you confused readers out there. This may or may not be the final ch. for this story. I haven't quiet decided. If it is there will be a sequel, again, I haven't decided yet. Let me know if you want me to just continue on with this or end and start the sequel. I'm considering doing a prequel to this that would explain a little more in depth about the circumstances that led to Mary. If anyone is interested let me know and I'll start it as soon as I can. Thanks for all the reviews.


	9. Ch 9 Coming Home

Ch. 9 Coming Home

He was finally going back after spending eight months on L2. Duo had left six months ago and there had been no contact between them. While the other pilots had visited several times, Duo had never accompanied them. He didn't believe things were over between them, Duo just needed time. It would no longer be just the two of them.

Heero was aware of Mary standing in her chair next to him. She was excited to be going to Earth. She'd never been off the colony so everything had been an adventure, the shuttle ride, space, the sight of Earth through the shuttle window. He didn't want to kill excitement, so he feigned sleep until the shuttle was ready to land.

It took them an hour to get to the limousine Quatre had sent for them. Mary had wanted to look in every store on the way out. The shuttle port didn't look any different from the one on L2, but she'd insisted anyway. The limo ride was the same as the shuttle port only she ran back and forth between talking to the driver and pointing at the scenes going by. Her excitement was contagious, even he was looking forward to seeing everyone again.

The limo rolled to a stop in front of Quatre's house, castle would have been a better description, the thing was huge. Stepping out into the warm sunshine he saw Quatre and Trowa standing in front of the house. He almost fell over as Mary barreled her way past him to Quatre's waiting arms.

"Cata! Cata!" She yelled still unable to pronounce her "r's".

"Hello Mary." Quatre replied as she jumped into his arms for a hug. "How are you today?"

"Fine. Hi Trowa. Where's Woofy.?"

She always managed to add the "r" to Trowa's name, but found it difficult to add it to Quatre's.

Trowa smiled slightly at her pronunciation of WuFei's name and ruffled her hair. "He's out, but he'll be back later." He stayed on the front porch while Quatre took Mary inside to show her the room she would be staying in. "Welcome back." He said when Heero finally made his way up to the house.

"Hmm." He replied.

_Same old Heero. _Trowa thought as the entered the house. He only dropped the facade when Mary was around.

Out of habit, Heero carried his things to the room he'd stayed in before he left and threw his things down on the bed. He could hear Mary giggling in the room next to his. Quatre had known he wouldn't want to be far from Mary. Exiting back out into the hallway he saw Duo's room and decided to look in. It was empty, no clothes thrown about the floor or loud music, just a neatly made bed and a clean floor. He closed the door silently, obviously he and Quatre hadn't made up.

Heero remembered the day he found out about Quatre's right hook. He still couldn't believe that passive Quatre had dropped Duo. He shook his head at the memory, what he wouldn't give to have been there. Turning around he ran straight into Quatre who looked some what amused, then started to shift on his feet.

"Everything taken care of?" he asked almost nervously.

Heero glared at him, Quatre sure had a round about way of telling him something important.

"What is it?" Heero demanded.

The annoyance in Heero's voice didn't phase Quatre, he had expected it.

"Duo is getting married." He stated bluntly. Heero wouldn't have it any other way.

There was silence, he just stood there, deadly still. Quatre could tell that he was processing what he had just heard. The revelation was probably the answer to his questions.

"When?"

"In two weeks. Duo didn't want us to say anything because…

"I'm not invited." Heero finished.

He was entirely surprised, it explained why he hadn't heard from him, aside from the fact that Duo probably didn't like what he'd heard the last time they'd spoken. If he hadn't thought things were over before, they were now.

"Zechs is off on a mission from the Preveners. The wedding was originally for last week." Quatre continued.

_No, things are not over between us, I won't let them. I made a mistake in the past and I'm doing my best to make up for it. He can't hold that against me. Damn it, I love him and I know he still has feelings for me. _Quatre's questions tore him from his thoughts.

"Heero, you ok?"

"Yeah." Came his monotone reply. "He still living with Zechs?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Watch Mary." He commanded and stormed out of the house.

Duo was making a mistake and he had to see it. He wouldn't let him go through with this asinine plan to marry Zechs, he couldn't. Dou could be as angry as he wanted but he had two weeks to make up for lost time and make him see that he could be the man he wanted.

(o)(o)(o)

_He's back. _Duo thought as he sat staring out the front window. Quatre had informed him that Heero would be returning to Earth and the little brat that had ruined what could have been their future was with him. How he detested the girl and he didn't even know her. He didn't have to, she had taken away everything that he had loved, now, it was all just a dream. In two weeks he and Zechs would be married and they would start a new life away from all the missions and drama, mostly importantly, they would be away from Heero.

He was happy with his life and the decision he'd made to leave Heero and move on with his life. Things had been great since he'd left and he couldn't be happier. _Then why does it feel so wrong to be here and not with him? _He wondered.

(o)(o)(o)

Ok, I was going to start the sequel right where this left off, so I decided, what the heck I'll just add a few chapters and finish this out instead of starting a sequel, though I do have an idea for one. This chapter may be a little slow, but it'll pick up I promise. Thanks for the reviews and advice. I appreciate it.


	10. Ch 10 Breaking Down Doors

Ch. 10 Breaking down doors

Heero grabbed the nearest set of keys on his way out the door. As the front door slammed shut behind him he realized that he would be taking WuFei's car. Oh, how the Chinese man would be angry when he found that out, but he didn't care. WuFei would understand why he had taken it, and if not then he would beat it into him.

WuFei came running out of the house as he sped off down the driveway. _Why can't Duo see that he's making a big mistake? Isn't it obvious? _Heero's thoughts were chaotic as he drove through the street towards the Marquise house. He would make Duo see that he wanted him, needed him, loved him. If Duo was going to marry Zechs then he better be damn sure that he no longer held feelings for him. He needed to know before he could move on with his life. Duo had been his everything and still was, but Dou couldn't see past Mary. It was an obvious obstacle they would have to overcome, but for now, Heero was more concerned with his feelings for Duo.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the house as he hit the brakes. Jumping out of the car he couldn't help but wonder if his efforts would be in vain. Anything having to deal with Duo was worth it and he had to try.

The front doors slammed against the walls as he pushed them open angrily. _He has to see. _He thought as he watched Duo run down the stairs to see what was going on. Heero caught him as he nearly fell down the last of the stairs. He had been surprised to see Heero there and this would have brought a smile to Heero's lips if he weren't on a mission.

"What are you doing?" Duo stammered out as Heero set him on his feet. He had been shocked when he saw Heero standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"This is a mistake." Heero responded in his monotone voice. None of the softness he'd had the last time they'd seen each other was present.

"You're damn right it's a mistake!" he half yelled. "Barging in here uninvited!"

"Zechs, it's a mistake" He stated simply.

"Why, because you don't want me to marry him."

"Because I know you still love me."

Duo was taken aback by that statement and a part of him screamed out to tell Heero he was right. The part of him that he had tried to bury and forget for so long came back in full force, but Heero didn't trust him.

"That part of me died long ago Heero." Duo lied feeling the heartache return.

Heero took Duo's face in his hands and pulled him close for a kiss.

At first Duo didn't resist, he didn't want to. He wanted to melt into his ex-lover's arms and make everything right between them. The passion behind his kiss told Duo volumes and he knew that Heero had meant every word in his letter and did indeed love him. He started to throw his arms around Heero's shoulders when his conscious made him think better of it. Instead, he pushed Heero way breaking the kiss. Marching past him he stood next to the doors.

"I would like you to leave." Duo said almost as monotone as Heero.

"No." Heero replied firmly.

Duo had expected that response, Heero was on a mission, what that mission was he didn't know, but it was going to end here.

"Heero, you need to leave now. I'm getting married to Zechs and that's final."

Heero closed the farthest door and came to stand uncomfortably close in front of him. Dou could feel the heat of his body and the intensity of his cobalt blue eyes sent a shiver down his spine. He brought his hand up and for a second Duo wasn't sure what he was going to do, then he heard the resounding thud as the door closed.

"I don't think you really want me to leave."

_Of course I don't you idiot, but this isn't right, I'm engaged, _Duo thought as Heero stared at him. How e longed to touch Heero's chest and run his fingers through his hair. He could feel his body respond to his thoughts.

As if Heero could read his thoughts, he took hold of his hand and placed it on his chest. Duo could feel the rapid beat of his heart beneath his shirt, Heero was trembling slightly. Was he nervous? He couldn't tell just felt the heart beat he used to fall asleep to so many months ago. He couldn't stop himself from touching Heero; it felt so right even when his mind was telling him not to. He couldn't bear it any longer, he had to touch him, feel every inch of him. Throwing his arms around him, he buried his face in Heero's shoulder.

Heero could have cried when Duo embraced him. How many times had he imagined this moment. The familiar scent of Duo was all around him and pulling out his braid, he ran his fingers through it; soft and silky just like it had always been. He was afraid to move for fear that Duo would pull away leaving his body cold.

They stood for a long time in foyer just holding each other, becoming familiar with one another all over again. It felt as if ages had passed between them, everything felt so new. They began kissing each other on every piece of exposed skin that they could find on each other, and when that wasn't enough they made their way up to Duo's room shedding articles of clothing as they went along.

Heero kicked in the door not wanting to break their embrace. He heard Duo slam it shut behind them allowing them total privacy. By the time they reached the bed they where both completely naked and their skin glistened with beads sweat from their heated kisses. Falling onto the bed they began to thoroughly explore each others bodies as though they'd never been together.

Duo kissed Heero along his neck and over his muscular chest drawing a moan from his lover's lips. He still remembered every part of Heero and all his favorite spots. He made a point to touch each spot making Heero writhe beneath him.

Heero would have died if Dou hadn't been constantly reminding him how good it felt to be alive. If felt like the piece that had died when Duo left was suddenly resurrected and for the moment everything was alright. How he had missed their love making, the teasing ways Duo made him moan and beg for more. Duo couldn't hold out for ever though, and Heero wanted to make sure Duo was thoroughly satisfied.

Flicking his tongue over Duo's collar bone, he began to stroke Duo's hardened member feeling him quiver above him. He ran his fingers through Duo's hair with his free hand before pulling him down for a passionate kiss. It was long and hard, Duo pulled away first, breathless.

"Take me Heero." He demanded as Heero began to stroke him harder his hair cascading down around them. "I have to feel you inside me."

"We have no lube. I don't want to hurt you." Heero replied kissing him again, willing to take things slow.

Duo reached for the nightstand and pulled the lube out of the drawer without breaking the kiss. Pulling back he warmed it up in his hands before he stroked Heero, finding him to be just as desperate for release as he was. He straddled Heero's hips waiting for some sign from Heero that it was ok.

Heero grabbed him by the hips and gently lowered him onto his cock. Duo tensed as the pain shot through his body, but it was fleeting and left as soon as it had come. He almost came when Heero hit his sweet spot and he almost begged Heero to stop.

Their love making was violent but not hurtful. Again and again Heero rammed in as he stroked Duo harder and faster. He could feel his body ready to climax and Duo tightened around him. If felt so good to be in him again that he forgot everything. Duo threw his head back when their bodies tensed with release as they found blissful happiness.

Duo collapsed onto Heero's wet chest breathing heavily but very content. The rapid beating of Heero's heart lulled him to sleep as it had always done in the past. He wasn't going to fight it, this is where he wanted to be and he didn't care if it was right or wrong.

Heero felt Duo's body become heavy as he fell asleep. He entwined his fingers in Duo's hair, reveling in it's softness. Duo had always been the one to bring him totally happiness and he didn't want to lose it, not again. Closing his eyes he could feel the encroaching darkness of sleep falling fast, he had to make Duo see that things weren't over.

(o)(o)(o)

Ok, chapter 10 is now out and I'm on the 11. Hope you enjoy this one.


	11. Ch 11 Mary and Secrets

Ch. 11 Mary and Secrets

Heero was instantly awake when the weight on his chest disappeared. He opened his eyes to see Duo rolling off to his side and out of bed. As Duo stretched he covered his body, in all its naked glory, with his eyes. He would never tire of looking at it; a smile touched his lips even though Duo was frowning.

"We shouldn't have done that." Duo stated walking sorely to the bathroom for a shower.

"Done what?" Heero played the innocent.

Duo snorted in response and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Looking at the clock he realized that they held slept clear into the following day, being that it was five in the morning. Climbing out of bed he followed Duo into the bathroom for a shower.

"Heero! What are you doing?" Duo demanded as he climbed in behind him.

"Taking a shower."

"Well, don't." Heero looked back at him in feigned shock. "I meant take one, just not right now."

"I'd rather take one now." He nipped him on the shoulder.

The shiver he got in response told him that Duo wasn't totally against the idea of them showering together. When Duo was determined to do something he could be stubborn, but he wouldn't let that stop him. _Duo would forget all about Zechs in the next few days, _Heero thought placing feather light kisses along his shoulders and on his neck. _Everything is going to turn out right, _he said to himself as he made love to Duo in the shower.

(o)(o)(o)

Later that afternoon Heero decided to bring up the one topic he knew would make or break their relationship, Mary. Duo had to understand that at least some part of him had changed, how could he not? The wars were over and the Perfect Soldier wasn't needed any more. At least he had been man enough to take responsibilities for his actions unlike some guys who would have taken off.

"Duo, we need to talk." Heero said as they sat in the kitchen eating lunch.

"I know."

"I want to talk about Mary." Heero watched as Duo's temper flared. This was still a sore subject between them.

"What about her?" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"I have to know why you are so upset with me over her."

"Gee, I don't know." He started sarcastically, "could it be that you didn't have the balls enough to tell me about her before I had to find out on my own."

"I'm sorry Duo, that wasn't how I wanted you to find out. I had planned on telling you when I got back, but I should have known that you would follow me."

"I can't stand the girl, she needs to go!" Duo bit out a little irrationally. "I don't understand why you couldn't just give her up for adoption." Duo knew he had pushed it to far when Heero stood up and threw his plate across the room, shattering it against the opposite wall.

"She's my flesh and blood! I couldn't leave her in this world alone, a world that she never asked to be brought into!" He paced around the kitchen, angrily running his hand through his hair. "A few years ago I probably would have just killed her, but that's not who I am any more and I have to take responsibility for what I've done."

"I can't believe that you're taking her side over mine."

"There aren't any sides to take, Duo! You're the only one that hates her. Why?"

Was he truly that blind Duo wondered? How could he not see it?

"Sh…she took everything from me!" he stammered out angrily. "She took my life from me and you expect me to like her!"

"How, Duo? You were the one that found someone else, not that I didn't expect it."

"I found someone else because you were never around. Always on a mission for the Preventers, ditching out on me, visiting with that pink nightmare, Relena!" He yelled, frustrated.

"First, I haven't been on a mission in a year. All those times I was gone, I was working on getting my daughter. As for Relena, she and Lady Une were helping me get the paperwork together. If you had bothered to ask I would have told you."

Duo laughed angrily. "You've never told me anything in the past, why would you do it now?"

"All you've ever needed to do was ask, but you never did."

Dou couldn't take it any more and stormed out of the room. Heero could be such a jerk and he wanted nothing to do with him right now. Entering his room he locked the door behind him, not that it would do any good, if Heero wanted in he would get in. Right now all he wanted was to be alone.

(o)(o)(o)

Heero sat down, exhausted from the argument. Duo wasn't making any sense, if anything he'd gained something, but Duo didn't see it that way. He couldn't see past the mistake he'd made, not what he was doing to fix it. He would give up Duo though, there was still time to get over this, complication or sorts. Duo was stubborn, but he could be a whole lot worse. Grabbing the broom he started cleaning up the plate he'd broken earlier.

(o)(o)(o)

Over the course of a week, they had several more fights with even more passionate sex. When things started looking up and Heero thought that he had finally made some progress, the phone rang and everything ended abruptly. Heero could have hunted Zechs down and killed him on sight, but that wasn't who he was any more. He would be returning early to spend the last week finalizing the wedding plans with Duo and Heero would be returning to Quatre's alone.

"Duo, this is a mistake, you have to see that!" Heero yelled. This was some where around the twentieth time they had, had this argument.

"Zechs and I are getting married on Saturday. This past week hasn't changed that." Dou shot back.

Heero was out of time and he knew it. Duo was the only one that could make the decision to cancel the wedding; all he could do was hope that Duo made the right decision. Taking WuFei's keys off the hook by the front door, he left the house. The next week would be hell on him, but even though he wasn't invited, he would still go to the wedding.

Before long he was in Quatre's driveway and walking up the stairs to the house. The door banged open in front of him and a very angry WuFei emerged.

"Where the hell have you been with my car?" He demanded.

Tossing the keys at him, Heero walked passed him without a word. The familiar sounds of little feet running through the house soon reached him, followed by gales of laughter from both Mary and Quatre. He knew Quatre would take good care of Mary; he had always been the motherly type.

"Welcome home Heero!" Quatre shouted from the top of the stairs in a cheery voice.

"Daddy!" Mary yelled as the practically flew down the stair. She jumped off the sixth stair so that he could catch her. "How is your friend?" She asked.

At first he was confused then shocked that she had put the "r" in friend. He looked at Quatre for an explanation.

"We fixed the little "r" problem she was having, but she still calls me Cata anyway." He replied smiling as he reached the landing. As he walked by he whispered, "I told her you visiting a friend for a few days."

Heero nodded in response and carried Mary into the living room. Sitting down on the couch he explained his visit with Duo, leaving out all the inappropriate information, and the arguments. Even if she didn't fully understand what he trying to accomplish, all that mattered was that she knew about them.

(o)(o)(o)

Later that evening they had an unexpected visit from Zechs. Heero desperately wanted to strike the man, but if Duo was happy with him, then he would have to learn to respect that. Besides, he wasn't giving up on Duo yet, when the marriage license was signed he would just have to come to terms with the fact that they could no longer be together. Until then, there was always hope.

Zechs sat in the living room, waiting for Quatre's return when Mary popped up out of no where. He smiled at her as she boldly walked into the room; it was obvious she was on a mission.

_Definitely Heero's daughter, no doubt about that, _Zechs thought.

"You must be Mary." He said politely. "I've heard a lot about you."

"My daddy loves Duo." She stated matter-of-factly.

This revelation didn't completely surprise him, though he thought he would hear it from Heero, not Mary. _She doesn't waste any time at all does she? Just like her father._

"Does he now." He wanted all the information he could get.

"Yes, he does, and you're a meanie for taking him away."

_From the mouth of babes. _He thought. "I am? Why is that?" He motioned for her to sit next to him on the couch.

She approached him cautiously; something Heero must have taught her. Mary opted to sit in a chair next to the couch instead.

"And Duo loves him back."

"How do you know?" He asked amused.

"Because he would be so made at daddy if he didn't."

_Good point kid, I had actually wondered about that myself._

"What would you like me to do about it?"

"Don't marry him." How easy she made it sound.

"If I choose not to?"

"Something bad will happen." She said in a monotone voice, very seriously.

For some strange reason, he believed her when she said that. He didn't know if it was because he knew Heero, or if he thought that she might actually follow through with some evil scheme.

"Really?"

She shook her head in a yes motion.

"And how would I go about not marrying Duo."

An evil grin lit up her face; it was the same look Duo often got when he had a good idea. Jumping off the chair she climbed onto the couch and began to whisper her plans into his ear.

(o)(o)(o)

"Mary!" Heero called. "It's time for bed." He rounded the corner to see Mary and Zechs obviously deep in conversation. Her face had a mischievous grin on it when she looked up with at him.

"By Mr. Zechs. Remember, it's a secret." She said before skipping up the stairs to get ready.

When Heero asked her about the secret she refused to tell him anything. She just said that he would have to wait and see. He didn't like the sound of that. Zechs feigned ignorance when he questioned him about it. The idea of Mary and Zechs having a secret did not sit well with him, and when Mary had a secret, you never found out what it was until the last minute.

(o)(o)(o)

Ok, there's Ch. 11. Ch. 12 will be the final chapter to this story, and then I'm on to something else. Let me know what you think about this chapter. Mary can be so devious.


	12. Ch 12 A Surprise Wedding

Ch. 12 A Ruined Wedding

Saturday came sooner than Heero would have liked. One day it was Monday and Mary was keeping secrets, which he still hadn't figured out, and then it was Saturday and he was supposed to watch the love of his life marry someone else. How very depressing the day was.

Standing in the bathroom he made sure that his tie was on straight. He looked more like he was going to a funeral than a wedding. Long black slacks, with a silk black shirt and a black tie to complete his ensemble. He could have passed for the god of death, had he had long hair. That thought darkened his mood further. Duo had not called off the wedding and he now had to come to terms with that fact.

"You look pretty daddy." Mary said sitting on the bed.

"It's handsome, and thank you. You look pretty too." He replied leaving the bathroom to meet her on the bed.

She wore a pale blue dress with cut of sleeves and matching slipper shoes. Quatre had seen to it that her unruly hair was managed into a cute ponytail with a blue ribbon. He couldn't help but smile and the man's handy work.

"Now remember what I said…" he started.

"Be quiet." She whispered back.

"Yes, we don't want to draw any attention." He was amazed at how quick she had caught on to his ex-gundam ways. It made him a little nervous at times and he wondered what she would be like as a teen. The thought was a scary one.

"Quatre says that it's time to leave." She said bouncing off the bed and on down the stairs.

"Whoa!" He heard Trowa say. She must have jumped off the steps on her way down.

It was a new game of hers, like she was trying to test how fast their reflexes worked by jumping at them when they weren't paying attention. Only WuFei had been caught off guard. She had jumped off the stairs while he had his back turned and latched onto his shoulders so she wouldn't hit the ground. He had screamed in such a high voice that they all thought it had been Mary, until they entered the foyer. They would never let him live that one down.

Heero took his time getting down stairs, watching his lover marry that blond idiot was not something he was looking forward to. Coming down the stairs he discovered his assumption was right. Mary had jumped off the stairs onto Trowa who was now tossing her into the air. He would make a wonderful father when he and Quatre decided to have kids.

"Don't look so down, Heero." Quatre said in an annoyingly cheerful voice.

Heero was not in the mood and chose to ignore him. They all made their way into the limo that would drop them off at the church. Heero and Mary would stay in the car until after Duo had made it down the aisle where they would then sneak in and sit in a back row some where unnoticed.

(o)(o)(o)

"Dou you look great." Quatre said helping him with his tie.

Duo was so nervous that he had put it on wrong and couldn't get it tied. He felt a little disappointed. He had expected Heero to come with the other guys, but instead he had respected his wishes and not come. He couldn't understand why he wasn't happy on his wedding day. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion and he felt like screaming while running down the street.

Hearing the music start was his queue to go down the aisle. As Quatre disappeared he made his way into the main section of the church. Everyone was there, Une, Hilde, Sally, Noin, Dorothy, even the pink nightmare Relena was there. Many of the faces passed in a blur and he didn't care. He focused on his blonde knight standing tall and elegant at the end of the aisle, waiting for him. There was no turning back.

(o)(o)(o)

"He's down the aisle." Quatre informed Heero before he ran back into the church.

Silently Heero and Mary slipped into the room unnoticed, it brought back memories from wars, but he pushed them aside. He had bigger things to worry about than the past. Mary sat in the seat next to the aisle patiently listening to the priest drone on with the customary wedding procedures.

Heero couldn't listen to the next part; he knew no one would speak up. He looked away with tears in his eyes. He hadn't noticed that Mary was starting to stand in her seat.

"If there is any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

"ME!" Mary yelled as loud as she could. She wanted to make damn sure everyone heard her.

Heero's head jerked up as everyone in the church turned to look at her.

"Mary sit down!" he ordered sternly.

"No," she said to him then turned back to the crowd. "You can't marry him because you love my daddy!" She yelled at Duo.

Duo stared back at her unsure if he should be angry or relieved. She was holding up the entire ceremony though. He watched as she jumped off her chair and walked down the aisle in a very business like fashion. Mary came to a stop right in front of him and looked up at Zechs.

"He doesn't love you anyway." She stated boldly. There were gasps of shock around the room. "That's why you can't marry him."

"The child is right Duo." The Marquise said as he looked down at Duo. "I'm in love with someone else."

"What?!" Duo demanded. He couldn't believe that he was being ditched at the altar.

"I'm in love with WuFei!" He announced.

WuFei passed out in his chair unnoticed.

"I can't believe this." Duo muttered under his breath. What was supposed to be a beautiful day was turning into a nightmare.

"There is someone in this room that loves you Duo and I know that you love him back, despite what you want others to believe." Zechs went on. "That man," he said walking down the aisle towards Heero "is a far better man for you than I could ever be. It's he you should be marrying, not I."

Heero suddenly found himself being pushed out of his seat and down the aisle by Quatre. He didn't have the faintest clue as to what was going on, but before he knew it he was taking Zechs' place at the altar.

"We all know how much you love each other." Zechs said quietly to the both of them. "Now do us all a favor and get married already."

Duo and Heero were both still a bit confused but before they knew it they were saying 'I do' and sealing their vows with a kiss. Heero couldn't have been happier and from the look on Duo's face, he could tell that things were going to be alright between them. The happiness had finally returned to Duo's violet eyes and Heero wanted to make sure it stayed there.

As Heero picked up Mary and headed down the aisle he caught the wink that she gave to Zechs and the small bow he gave in return. Little stinker, this was her plan all along.

Dou also caught the interaction between Zechs and Mary. One day he would have to thank her for ruining his wedding day.

(o)(o)(o)

Well that's it for this chapter and for the story. To tie up a lose end, Zechs isn't in love with WuFei, he just said that because he was the only single guy there. That and I thought it would be funny to through it in there. I plan to do a prequel and a sequel, but I don't know when either will be out. R&R so that I know what you think.


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